The Diamondbacks announced Tuesday that outfielder Cody Ross has a strained muscle in his left leg, an injury that will shut him down for at least two weeks and raises concerns about his availability for Opening Day.

“Not being able to run and work his legs very much is going to be tough,” Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers said on Tuesday. “I’m sure we have to look at Plan B to start the season if for some reason he’s not ready to go. It’s probably going to be right near the end of spring training before he’s ready to start running again.”

Ross signed a three-year, $26 million deal in December — the Diamondbacks’ largest free-agent expenditure in eight years — and is penciled in to replace Justin Upton in right field.

But if he isn’t ready, the good news for the Diamondbacks is that outfield depth isn’t a concern. Gerardo Parra should be able to step in as Ross’ replacement, and Towers mentioned both Tony Campana and A.J. Pollock as candidates for the fourth outfielder’s job.

Ross, who had an MRI on Monday, was looking on the bright side. For one, the strain is mild, he said, and only prevents him from running, not hitting or throwing. More importantly, he said that the calendar is on his side.

“Luckily, we have time,” he said. “I’ve gone to spring trainings and had little stuff (injuries) like this where I’ve only had a few games to get ready. As long as I can go on April 1, that’s all I care about.”

Ross said he has a “Grade 1 or 1 1/2” strain of the soleus muscle in his left calf. In his downtime, he’d like to face pitchers in simulated games in hopes of staying sharp.

He’s still not sure how the injury occurred, saying he woke up one morning with what he thought was normal soreness. But after resting for two days, he returned to the lineup Sunday only to feel more discomfort while running.

“Of all the guys, that’s one I’m probably most concerned with right now,” Towers said. “He’s only had a handful of at-bats, and he’s not going to get many before the start of the season.”

Call him ‘Didi’

Shortstop prospect Didi Gregorius’ real first name is Mariekson, but its pronunciation — mar-EKE-son — was so difficult for people that he decided years ago to just go by “Didi.”

Didi is a family nickname, he said. Both his father and brother played baseball and went by it.

Gregorius said he made the switch while playing in the Pioneer League in 2009 in part because he noticed public-address announcers had stopped even trying to say his first name.

“They would say ‘Now batting, Gregorius,’” he said.

“Everywhere we go on the field, people know us as Didi,” he said. “Some don’t even know it’s not our real names. But back home if I’m on the streets walking, they call me by my normal name.”

As for his given name, he said, “My mom told me that one of her best friends was named Marieka. So she put Mariekson to name me after one of her closest friends.”

He doesn’t plan on ever going back to that, like the way Giancarlo Stanton broke into the majors known as “Mike.”

“It’s easier this way,” he said.

Short hop

Second baseman Aaron Hill (left-quad/hip-flexor tightness) pinch-hit on Monday and said he expected to do the same on Tuesday. He said he was planning to lobby manager Kirk Gibson to start today, but Gibson said Thursday was a more likely return date.

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